Most folks who’ll be reviewing this tea will probably do so from the perspective of evaluating Lao Shan tea as a whole. I love Lao Shan greens, and I’ve had so many different kinds, qualities, and seasons, so this one is more focused on what makes this Autumn picking unique from the others, appreciated for its own strengths.

The dry smell from the bag is undeniably of cocoa.. of cocao nibs in particular. That’s somethig I find to be consistant across all Lao Shan teas in recent memory. I wonder why I never noticed that in Qingdao? Probably because I was living there, so I never took the time to stick my face in the bags and smell and appreciate. Also- no chocolate in Qingdao[ :*-( ], so maybe I lost my context. Why chocolate? Probably has something to do with that distinctive beany Lao Shan taste.

Consulting my notes, I see that the steeped leaves have a “delicious smell.” Hmm, usually I write more, but what can you say to that? Must have kept me from writing anything else.

The taste is crisp, lively, and subtle. It is certainly sweet, and there is something in the flavor that is making it positively addictive. Maybe it is some light savory and salt acting as a gentle support- sweet cream butter. There is Lao Shan bean, but it is a quiet force playing nicely in the background, walking on light tip toe so as not to disturb the calm coziness of the scene. Reminds me in a way of a quiet parent who picks you up to takes you to bed after you’ve fallen asleep on the living room floor. You remember them, you know it happened (counted on it, in fact), but there was no disruption to your dreaming.
Something in the taste also reminds me of Japanese green teas that have been dusted with matcha. I have a feeling that this would appeal more to the sensibilities of a lover of Japanese greens, even though grassy astringency is not actually rearing it’s head… grassiness is there more as a scent infusing the whole brew with a smooth, full mouth-feeling. It is a perfect, airy feeling of grass that is also solidly earthbound, mixed together with cozy cream.

More than anything with this picking, I am swept off to a place.

It’s a misty seashore, early in the morning. The air is cool and wet and smells of autumn, but there is also an intense warmth and coziness. You are standing in your robe with slippers on, in your fuzziest robe and blanket, watching the scene from warm within your woody cabin. A solitary retreat on the North Shore (except in this fantasy, the heat is on perfectly!). A feeling of subtle quiet, thoughtfulness… I’ve drawn a little heart here in the corner of my notes.
Or it is evening on that same sea/lake-shore after a long, full day. There is a crackling fire, and there are waves in the background. The ocean and water is so strong in this one, but it is that feeling of place.. of waves against rock.. not of brine.

Looking back on the description of this tea’s taste, I’m surprsed I can love it so well. Usually, I want my Lao Shan teas to taste like Lao Shan! The bean, the butter, the soil. This one is so much more subtle.. so much more of the autumn.. but the result is so lovely. The place that this tea takes me to is so strong. It feels like one of those original places of my own self.

- -(Tasting notes over: mini-proclamation begins)— —
Hurray for all of these autumn pickings! Who knew that tea could be so giving? Those who kowtow blindly at the Altar of Spring to the exclusion of all other tastes need to stop obsessing over questions of SUPERIORGRADE this and TRADITIONALSOURCESPROCLAIM that. Just quiet down for a moment and use your own tongue to appreciate all that tea is trying to offer you. Discover your own preferences, but not before you open yourself to new possibilities and taste with your own self.

The Laoshan teas from Verdant are exceptional, no question. Have you tried any Korean green teas? They alongside these Laoshan pluckings are hands down two of my top 5 green tea drinking pleasures. You may want to try any of the different pluckings from Dong Cheon in particular, as these are the ones that I am most familiar.

Thanks for the recommendation and reminder! I have actually had some lovely Korean green tea at Franchia’s in Manhattan. I found the tea delicious, but (at the time.. college) out of my price-range to take some home. I’ve actually been meaning to track down more Korean tea recently, but I didn’t know where to start looking.
Where could I find some Dong Cheon? A quick search for me only turned up happy bloggers.

Tea Trekker sells the Dong Cheon teas, and they have them on sale now. Morning Crane Tea was selling them from their site for a bit as well. You could email them about getting them still. I just recently had the Daejak, which ended up being my favorite of the three. Last but not least, you can also check Mattcha’s blog as he has an extensive list of places to get Korean teas.

Beautiful description! I am experimenting now with different water temperatures to get the best out of this tea. The problem is not loose the initial high notes which are really very lovely but tend to diminish with the consecutive steeps. Any advice?

Spoonvonstup: Good point about spring pickings vs summer and autumn pickings. I know I was under the belief that there were no green teas worth drinking that were not spring harvested. Both of Verdant’s Early Summer Laoshan and Autumn Laoshan Green teas have changed that for me. “Discover your own preferences, but not before you open yourself to new possibilities and taste with your own self.” Good way to sum it up!

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The Laoshan teas from Verdant are exceptional, no question. Have you tried any Korean green teas? They alongside these Laoshan pluckings are hands down two of my top 5 green tea drinking pleasures. You may want to try any of the different pluckings from Dong Cheon in particular, as these are the ones that I am most familiar.

Thanks for the recommendation and reminder! I have actually had some lovely Korean green tea at Franchia’s in Manhattan. I found the tea delicious, but (at the time.. college) out of my price-range to take some home. I’ve actually been meaning to track down more Korean tea recently, but I didn’t know where to start looking.
Where could I find some Dong Cheon? A quick search for me only turned up happy bloggers.

Tea Trekker sells the Dong Cheon teas, and they have them on sale now. Morning Crane Tea was selling them from their site for a bit as well. You could email them about getting them still. I just recently had the Daejak, which ended up being my favorite of the three. Last but not least, you can also check Mattcha’s blog as he has an extensive list of places to get Korean teas.

Beautiful description! I am experimenting now with different water temperatures to get the best out of this tea. The problem is not loose the initial high notes which are really very lovely but tend to diminish with the consecutive steeps. Any advice?

Spoonvonstup: Good point about spring pickings vs summer and autumn pickings. I know I was under the belief that there were no green teas worth drinking that were not spring harvested. Both of Verdant’s Early Summer Laoshan and Autumn Laoshan Green teas have changed that for me. “Discover your own preferences, but not before you open yourself to new possibilities and taste with your own self.” Good way to sum it up!

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I generally drink Chinese teas.

I love things that are interesting, that force me to stop and think about and enjoy what I’m experiencing. Even better are those teas you just have to drink with a friend so that the outpouring of tastes and memories find a sounding board in a trusted companion.

I’m into tea as an experience rather than just a thirst quenching beverage. I love to learn- there’s so much to learn about tea.

I also prefer my teas to be exceedingly delicious, if at all possible. Luckily, I have great tea friends and teachers that can hook me up with the good stuff.

Something I’ve noticed about my ratings:
I tend to use Steepster more like Yelp and less like Twitter. I’ll generally only review a tea once in its life (though that review and rating might be edited over time to reflect changes in my own understanding of it).
I do not generally log each tea I’m drinking as I drink, since that feels like a distraction- I’d rather just drink the tea!
I tend to only review teas I really love or that I really did not enjoy. If it falls somewhere in the middle of “meh” and “that was pretty good, I suppose,” then I won’t be compelled to sit down and spend time giving a nice, fleshed out review and rating.
As such, it might seem like I give out high scores willy-nilly. Instead, I’m doing my first round of rating mentally off-site, and presenting only the teas I really want to share with everyone.